| A | B |
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| Allegory | The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning |
| Alliteration | The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words |
| Allusion | A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, |
| Ambiguity | The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage |
| Analogy | A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them |
| Antecedent | The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun |
| Antithesis | – the opposition or contrast of ideas; the direct opposite |
| Aphorism | A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle. |
| Apostrophe | A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction |
| Atmosphere | The emotional nod created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author’s choice of objects that are described |
| Caricature | – a verbal description, the purpose of which is to exaggerate or distort, for comic effect, a person’s distinctive physical features or other characteristics |
| Clause | A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb |
| Colloquialism | – The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing |
| Conceit | A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects |
| Connotation | The non-literal, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning |
| Denotation | The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color |
| Diction | Related to style, diction refers to the writer’s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness |
| Didactic | From the Greek, it literally means “teaching.” |
| Euphemism | From the Greek for “good speech,” they are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept |
| Extended Metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. |
| Figurative Language | Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid |
| Figure of speech | These include apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement |
| Generic Conventions | This term describes traditions for each genre. These conventions help to define each genre |
| Genre | The major category into which a literary work fits |
| Homily | A sermon |
| Hyperbole | figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement |
| Imagery | The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions |
| Infer | – To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented |
| Invective | an emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language |
| Irony | The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to |
| Litotes | a form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its |
| Loose sentence | A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech using implied comparison of seemingly unlike things or the substitution of one for the other, |
| Metonymy | This is a figure of speech in which the name of one object is substituted for that of another closely associated with it |
| Mood | The prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work |
| Narrative | The telling of a story or an account of an event or series of events |
| Onomatopoeia | A figure of speech in which natural sounds are imitated in the sounds of words |
| Oxymoron | From the Greek for “pointedly foolish,” it is a figure of speech wherein the author groups apparently |
| Paradox | A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense but upon closer inspection contains |
| Parallelism | It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity |
| anaphora | when the exact repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive lines |
| parody | A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule |
| pedantic | An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or |
| periodic sentence | a sentence that must go all the way to the end before the idea is complete |
| personification | A figure of speech in which the author presents or describes concepts, animals, or inanimate objects by endowing them with human attributes or emotions. |
| point of view | in literature, the perspective from which the story is told |
| prose | in this genre the printer determines the length of the line |
| repetition | The duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence, or grammatical pattern. mostly used for emphasis |
| rhetoric | From the Greek for “orator,” this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. |
| sarcasm | involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something |
| satire | A work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions for reform or ridicule |
| semantics | The branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words, their historical and psychological development, their connotations, and their relation to one another. |
| style | An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices |
| subject complement | The word or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either renaming it or describing it |
| subordinate clause | a clause that cannot stand alone |
| syllogism | a deductive system of formal logic |
| symbol/symbolism | something concrete that represents something more abstract |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part |
| synesthesia | when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another |
| syntax | the way in which an author joins words together |
| theme | The central idea or message of a work, the insight it offers into life |
| thesis | the thesis statement is the sentence or group of sentences that directly expresses the author’s opinion |
| tone | describes the author’s attitude toward his material, the audience, or both |
| transition | A word or phrase that links different ideas |
| understatement | presents something as less significant than it is. |
| wit | in modern usage, intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights |
